Improvement in automatic table-waiters



INVENT R: 0

W. BEESON. Automatic fiable-Waiter'.`

. Patented Sept.2`,/t879.

0 nil a@ uw@ A I N PETERS, PHOTOLITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGYON, Dv C.

IIIIIIIIIILIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

WILLIAM BEEsON, on EAGLE ROOK, IDAHO TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC TABLE-WAITERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,200, datedSeptember 2, 1879; application Iiled July 23, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BEEsON, of Eagle Rock, in the county ofOneida and Territory of Idaho, have invented a neT and use-` fulImprovement in Automatic Table-VVaiters, oi' which the following is aspecification.

Figure l is a horizontal section of a room to which my improvement hasbeen applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken throughthe line w x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the carriage. Fig. 4 is adetail vertical section of the carriage, taken through the line y y,Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents an orderticket.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

'Ihe object of this invention is to furnish an improved device to takethe place ofthe waiters in restaurants, saloons, and other places forcarrying the orders from the tables to the cookroom or counter, and thearticles ordered back to the tables, and which shall be simple inconstruction and convenient in use.

The invention consists in the carriage formed of the shelf or shelves,the extension-standard, the spring, the catch, and the Wheel or Wheels,in combination with the suspended track; in the combination ofthe cord,pulley, and Weight With one or bot-h ends of the suspended track and inthe combination of the tube, the endless apron, and the rollers with thetable and the door ofthe room, as hereinafter fully described.. i

A represents the room in which the tables, B, for the customers are.placed,'and C represents the cook-roon1, bar, or other place from whichthe articles ordered are to be supplied. D represents a Wire-rope, rod,or bar' extending from the room C to the tables in the roo A, and backagain into the room C.

The Wire-rope, rod, or bar D i's supported by hangers E,`or othersupports, in snch'a Way that the carriage can pass along unobstructed.The wire-rope, rod, or bar D, that forms the track, should incline fromone end to the other, so that the carriage may be carried along it byits own Weight, and may have slight rises or depressions in it at-thetables for stopping the carriage at those points. The carriage may haveone or more shelves or platforms, F, to receive the dishes, which shelfor shelves are hung from the lower end of the extensionstandard G, theparts of which Inay slide the one into the other, as-shown in Figs. 3and 4, or the one along the side of the other, being kept in place bykeepers. The parts of the standard G are drawn and held together by aspring, H, which may be made of metal, rubber, or other suitablematerial, and should be of suflicient strength to sustain the shelf orshelves F and the articles placed upon them.

The parts of the standard G are held apart, when extended, by a catch,I, attached to one of the said parts, and engaging with notches in theother part, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. To the side ofy the upper part ofthe standard G is pivoted a groovedor iianged Wheel, J, to roll alongthe track D. More than one Wheel, J, may be used, if desired.

The carriage must be so arranged that its center of gravity may bedirectly beneath the track D, so that it may run steadily upon the Ysaid track. p

To the higher end of the track D is attached Jthe end of a rope, K,which passes over a pulley, L, pivoted to the ceiling or other suitablesupport, and has a Weight, M, attachedV to its other end. The rope K isdesigned for use for raising the carriage from the lower end to thehigher end of the track D, and to raise the higher end of the track D togive moreor less impulse to the carriage When starting it. rIo l allovirthis to be done the higher end of the track D should be connected withits support by a spring or sliding sleeve.

If desired, the carriage may be sent out and returned upon the sametrack; but in this case both ends of the saidtrack should be movable,and should be provided with a rope, pulley, and Weight, K L- M, so thateither end of the said track may be raised to give the carriage animpulse in the other direction.

Each table B is provided with a tube, N, extending down through the loor0I' the room. 0 is an endless apron passing around rollers P, pivoted tothe door-timbers or to other suitable supports. The endless apron Oextends to the cook-room G, and with the journal of the last roller, P,is connected a crank or other driving-gearing.

Q represents an order-ticket, which contains a list of the articles tobe furnished, with a series of dots or dashes after each.

In using the apparatus, the customer seats himself at a table, B, takesan order-ticket, Q, draws apencil-mark across one or lnore of the dots.or dashes to indicate the articles ordered,

and drops the ticket Q into the tube N of the table B. The order-ticketdrops upon the endless apron O, andis carried by it into the cookroom C.An attendant takes the order-ticket Q, places the article or articlesordered upon the shelf or platform F of the carriage, draws a markacross the order, marks with a pencil of a dierent color, or in someother convenient way, to cancel the order, places the orderticket uponthe carriage, and starts the carriage upon the track D. The carriage isstopped at the table by the rise or depression in the track D, or by thetable-waiter,who draws down the shelf or shelves F by extending thestandard G, and secures it from rising by the i catch l.' The waiterthen removes the articles and the order-ticket from the carriage, placesAthem upon the table B, and sends the carriage bination with thesuspended track D, substan` tially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination ofthe cord, pulley, and

weight K L M with one or both ends of the.

suspended track D, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the tube N, the endless apron O, and the rollersl? with the table B and the floor of the room, substantially as hereinshown and described.

D. F. GHAMBERLAIN, D. H. LATHAM.

